Combat armor is among the best forms of protection in the post-Warwasteland. Although extremely expensive, the protection value of this armor and its variants is surpassed only by power armor. It was designed to sheath the human body as completely as possible with a high-durability armor.

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First created in 2051, the military-grade combat armor was designed to protect key sections of the human body from ballistic trauma with hard armored plates made from complex polymers and ceramics, with a flexible body suit interwoven with thermal-dissipative membranes and bulletproof material. The earliest models of the combat armor were manufactured as specific plates mounted on combat webbing, although as the technology improved, body-enclosing suits of armor were created and entered active combat duty, though in limited quantities. The armor came with a matte-finish olive drab coloring by default, making it suitable for woodland and/or urban camouflage.

The combination armor layers of a suit of adequately-maintained combat armor grant the wearer significant protection from most types of damage, including laser, plasma, ballistic (bullets, shrapnel), and blast damage - uncommon for personal armor. Furthermore, it does so without the extreme weight inherent in most battle armor systems of the 20th and 21st centuries. In summary, combat armor provides outstanding protection at comparatively low-weight and high-comfort levels.

Prior to the Great War, combat armor was nearly exclusively the property of military forces and special police units. Currently-available historical documentation shows users only in the North American continent, but allied nations were likely to possess identical or similar systems. Combat armor was the de facto armor of the United States military, issued to all combat soldiers not in the powered armor units. Additionally, at least one Canadian partisan was caught on camera wearing a suit of combat armor.

After the war, it became a valuable item, especially as the number of usable suits dwindled in the centuries that followed. Only those who are either very wealthy, very well-connected, very skilled, or simply very lucky own combat armor - and even for those people, finding a suit can be a task.

In 2161, combat armor was rare outside large population centers. The Gun Runners that originated in the Hub owned and wore several sets, while a few merchants had a suit available for sale at extremely high costs. The armor was also used by the Hub police. The Brotherhood initiates used a superior variant.

In 2281, pre-war combat armor remains uncommon. The bulk of the NCR Army makes its own armors, most troops are issued inferior hide breastplates. However, the NCR Ranger patrol armor handmade in the NCR is on-par with pre-war combat armor. Various forms of riot armor are also used by NCR troopers (only on the Long 15), NCR Rangers, and NCR riot control. Despite not being used by the major nation-states converging on the area, abandoned sets of combat armor can still be found through scavenging, and it is still used by mercenaries and notably, the Gun Runners, making it uncommon, but not unseen.

In 2277, the combat armor is fairly commonplace in the Capital Wasteland, owing to the heavy military presence in and around the capitol region, and the heavily populated east coast in general. Combat armor used by several factions have recolored it to fit their profile.

In the Commonwealth, combat armor remains commonplace, being the armor of choice of the large raider-mercenary faction known as the Gunners, who are not dissimilar similar to Talon Company. Pieces of combat armor can also be found in the possession some Raiders or Minutemen, or found in shops or containers.

Combat armor in Fallout and Fallout 2 consists of an armored breastplate with a matching helmet and boots worn over a black long sleeve shirt and brown pants. In Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas it appears as green bodysuit worn with combat webbing over which armored plates are mounted. In Fallout 4, combat armor is a series of modular plates on combat webbing to be worn over Army fatigues or Military fatigues, with superior versions incorporating a flak jacket and additional panels. Combat armor offers excellent protection at a lighter weight than other armors, but is considerably less common.

In Fallout 4, combat armor comes in 3 forms, with the latter 2 having the "sturdy" and "heavy" prefix added, respectively. The first form is simply just combat armor plates on webbing covering the chest and partially covering the upper arms and thighs. The sturdy version includes a flak jacket and additional plates for the forearms and shins. The heavy form provides superior protection, it covers nearly the entire body and provides the highest and most balanced protection of any armor; it is also the lightest of all the heavy armors.

US Army combat armor is an enhanced form of combat armor found at the Hopeville Missile Base. These suits are brown with dark green armor, there is a single chevron on either shoulder pad indicating a rank of Private. US Army combat armor has more damage threshold than normal combat armor or reinforced combat armor, with only slightly less than Mk II reinforced combat armor. It also gives a bonus to the guns and survival skill.

This winterized version was used by the United States during the Anchorage Reclamation campaign in Alaska. The winterized combat armor includes snow goggles, a mask and protective bracers in addition to the other features already present in combat armor.

A special winterized version was used by doctors and medics during the Anchorage Reclamation campaign in Alaska. It closely resembles the winterized combat armor, except it doesn't have the mask and black goggles for the helmet, and has a red cross symbol on the back.

A superior version of combat armor in Fallout 2, it is very similar in appearance to the standard set, though slightly bulkier in the inventory screen. This set of combat armor was typically issued to special forces and troops tasked with breaking through enemy lines. Combat armor Mk II provides superior protection in every day compared to its predecessor, at the cost of a minor weight increase.

An advanced form of combat armor, this version was redesigned to improve coverage. Consisting of a large green chestplate and pauldrons with matching helmet, kneepads, and shinguards worn over a black suit, this combat armor has a higher damage threshold than the regular version, and is less common. It also strongly resembles the original combat armor from Fallout and Fallout 2.

An improved version of the reinforced combat armor, this high tech suit was created as a heavier, more protective armor likely used by special forces. The suit consists of a huge chestpeice covering most of the torso in thick armor plating, and is the strongest form of combat armor, providing greater protection against all forms of damage.

The Brotherhood of Steel has also developed their own improvement on the reinforced combat armor. Brotherhood armor boasts significantly-improved defensive ratings in all forms of damage. However, this armor did not see widespread use as its holdings were zealously restricted to the ranks of the Brotherhood and those who had been of unique assistance to the Brotherhood. Its distinguishing marks includes pale green/gray coloring of the armor panels, blue trim on the chest armor panels, a light gray body suit, and pronounced riveting on the pauldrons.

A weaker version of combat armor used by the Tenpenny Tower Security and Rivet City security after the War. The Tenpenny Tower version is very similar to the basic combat armor but with a desert color, while the Rivet City one has a black color with headgear that resembles a riot helmet rather than the usual combat helmet.

A version of combat armor used by Reilly's Rangers. This version offers superior damage resistance and bears the Reilly's Rangers insignia while retaining the standard olive-drab camouflage with matte finish.

An improved basic combat armor used by the Van Graff family. It is colored matte-black for "brand recognition purposes", but has no matching black helmet. It closely resembles the Rivet City security uniform.

A military-grade armor originally used by LAPD riot squads, this combat outfit is typically worn with a matching military helmet with built-in low light optics, a combinaton IR/white light lamp and gas mask.[1] It is traditionally worn with the Desert Rangers' traditional duster (with the NCR Rangers' insignia on the left flap) and a set of rodeo jeans. Its creation was based on the Desert Ranger combat armor for the NCR Veteran Rangers after the merge between the Desert Ranger and the NCR Rangers in 2271.

A military-issue armor provided to U.S. Marines operating in China. Boasting a desert camouflage pattern, the armor provides quality protection and is typically worn with a matching military-grade helmet with built-in low light optics, a flashlight and gas mask. Owner data is printed on the collar and includes rank, name, service branch and blood type, to facilitate easy identification of wounded and dead soldiers.

This variant esembles the NCR Ranger combat armor, but with a black duster and different markings on the chest plate as well as green details on both the duster and the body armor such as a dark green color and pouches located on the side of the duster's sleeves. The helmet also features a different design on the gas mask and a small spike protruding from the tip of it. The helmet also gives the effect "Sneak Sight", which gives the player low visibility sight while in sneak mode. This will toggle from on to off once you exit sneak mode.

The Advanced riot gear appears to be a more heavily armored version of the riot gear. The shoulder pads are bulkier and worn on top of the duster, and the chest plate seems to be slightly greener. It appears to have much thicker armor plates on the forearms. It also has a faded 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment emblem on the helmet. The suit itself looks a lot thicker and the duster looks darker along with a cleaner appearance. The eyes of the helmet glow red at night, much like the NCR Ranger combat armor during the Fallout: New Vegas intro. The helmet's air-filtering system seems to be more advanced, and there is a Flashlight on the side of the helmet, however, this cannot be used by the player or any other character. The suit also weighs 5 pounds less than standard riot gear, NCR Ranger combat armor, or even Desert Ranger combat armor.

A unique version of the riot gear with different shoulder plates from advanced riot gear, and a larger amount of pouches and equipment on the torso plate and duster. It also lacks the faded 11th Infantry emblem on the helmet and has the addition of green tubes on its enhanced gas filter as well as an antenna connected to the flashlight on the right side of the helmet. There is also a canteen attached to the belt and a bandolier that spans across the chest plate. It provides a high level of protection for its weight and the only medium armor with a higher DT is the Gannon family Tesla armor.

One of the few post-war combat armors, the NCR Ranger patrol armor is a combat armor worn by the NCR Rangers in 2281. Each model is made by hand in the NCR and features full body armor, a knife sheath on the left chest plate, a camelback style hydration pouch in the back and the Ranger insignia on both pauldrons. It boasts protection comparable to its pre-war counterpart.